The American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties will host a series of volunteer development classes throughout the month of February in order to provide additional training to new volunteers and offer advanced training to volunteer leaders. The “training tournament” will officially kick-off on Saturday, Feb. 3, with a keynote speech delivered by WD-40 Chief Executive Officer Garry Ridge to inspire attendees toward developing leadership and teamwork skills.

Twenty-eight different classes along with personal and professional development and career planning advice will be offered in more than 35 night and weekend sessions at the regional headquarters office in Kearny Mesa throughout the month-long event. Classes cover a variety of topics including shelter management, disaster operations fundamentals, logistics, and more.

“After the unprecedented natural disasters of 2017, it's more important than ever for our volunteers to be trained and even better prepared to respond to future disasters and emergencies,” said local Red Cross Chief Executive Officer Sean Mahoney. “By developing volunteer leaders here in San Diego and Imperial Counties, we will be a more prepared region for our own needs and we can also be relied upon to send experienced and effective volunteers to help with disasters around the nation.”

New volunteers are welcome to participate in the training tournament, but are encouraged to sign up by Jan. 26 in order to be enrolled in time to access the full month of trainings. Participants can accumulate points to win prizes throughout the tournament. The event will culminate with a disaster response simulation activity on March 1 and 2. This simulation allows participants to experience key elements of a disaster operation and prepare them to respond strategically.

To become a Red Cross volunteer, visit redcross.org/volunteer. For more information about the American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties, please visit redcross.org/sandiego.